


Because I'm stronger by your side

by trappedinamatchbox



Category: Van Helsing (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-16 19:17:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trappedinamatchbox/pseuds/trappedinamatchbox
Summary: Missing scenes featuring Axel and Scarlett.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have recently become obsessed with Axel and Scarlett and how Missy Peregrym and Jonathan Scarfe have an amazing rapport and chemistry together. Their relationship has so much potential and -- while I know they're not exactly popular -- I just had to get these moments out of my brain. We start at 2x12 - Crooked Falls and will follow through season 3.

They had arrived at Crooked Falls earlier that afternoon, after three miserable days walking around in the cold and killing goddamn ferrels. The people there seemed nice enough, but the altitude made Scarlett a little breathless and dizzy and all she wanted to do was to take a shower and sleep for a week.

 

As if that would ever happen, she thought with a humorless chuckle.

 

The brunette girl, Jessie, directed them to a room with several cots and Scarlett dropped on one of them as soon as the chick closed the door behind her, after announcing that she would come back later to get them for dinner.

 

“Let's just hope they're not roasting ferrels here too.” Axel deadpanned and she rolled her eyes, a tired laugh escaping her lips. “Tired?” His tone softened when she leaned back against the head of the bed and closed her eyes.

 

“Exhausted.” She opened her eyes again, only to be taken over by a yawn. “It's probably the altitude. I've never done too well this high up. It takes me a little while to get used to it.”

 

“Do you think you need some oxygen? We can take them up on their offer.” He suggested, but she shook her head, touched that he was this concerned.

 

It had been a while since anyone gave a shit about her and it was jarring to have that again. She didn't really know what to make of Axel just yet, but he was definitely a good guy. And she couldn't say she hated having him around at all.

 

“Nah, I'll be fine, Army man.” She grinned at him and he rolled his eyes, grumbling a 'marine’ under his breath. “Just need a nap.”

 

Another yawn took over her body and she decided to get busy unbuckling all her weapons, before sleep pulled her under. She watched as he did the same with the couple of knives and the one gun he still had.

 

Once all her knives and swords were laying in a neat pile next to her bed, she took her boots off and allowed herself to collapse on the bed again, revelling in the comfort it provided. She didn't even remember when it was the last time she had actually slept in a bed.

 

“God, I hadn't realized how much I'd missed sleeping in an actual bed until right this second.” She heard Axel groan from his side of the room and looked at him, smiling at the sight of his sprawled out body, boots still on.

 

“You might want to take off those boots first there, champ.” She said dryly, making him look down at his feet. 

 

“Damn it.” He cursed under his breath and she shook her head amused, already pulling the covers over her body and getting comfortable. “Hey, Ninja,” he called and she opened one eye, ready to glare at him. “How about we keep each other warm?”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him, but smiled when she saw the soft look in his eyes, even as he was trying to tease.

 

“I'm not moving from this bed, Army Man.” She teased, turning her back to him and pulling the covers up to her shoulders.

 

She heard him taking off his boots and then his cautious footsteps to her side. The bed dipped under his weight and she felt his touch on her shoulder.

 

“May I?”

 

Fighting a smile, she scooted over as best as she could in the narrow bed. Not even half a minute later, his arm was firmly wrapped around her waist, his breath tickling the back of her neck. She felt him press a kiss to her skin and covered the hand that was resting on her stomach with hers, entwining her fingers through his.

 

“Do you think Vanessa is okay?” She asked quietly and heard him let out a heavy sigh. “We need to find her, Axel. I just found family again. I can't lose her.”

 

“I promise you. We will find her, Scar.” He kissed her neck again and she turned around in his arms, facing him. “But we gotta wait for Doc and Julius to get here with the key first. Right?”

 

“I know. I'm just worried.” She sighed and tucked her face into the crook of his neck. 

 

He pulled her in closer, tracing soft patterns on her arm.

 

“Sleep, Ninja.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then her lips. “We can worry about saving the world in a couple of hours.”

 

* * *

 

After making the rounds to make sure everyone was okay -- especially Doc, who had just taken a bullet to protect the new girl -- Axel found Scarlett in the bathroom, cleaning all that blood off with a towel. 

 

Knocking on the door, he waited until she looked at him.

 

“How are you doing?” He asked quietly, finally stepping into the bathroom. “Feeling okay?” 

 

He took the stained towel from her hands and washed the blood away in the sink, before wringing it out and gently rubbing it against her neck.

 

“I'm fine.” She croaked out, her voice still sounding a little hoarse. She must have seen the look on his face, because she immediately added. “I promise.”

 

“You had me worried for a second there.” He said lightly, putting the towel away when her skin was finally blood free. “When I saw your hand on your neck…” He touched the exact spot the bullet had pierced her skin.

 

“Hey, I'm just fine, Axel.” She covered his hand with hers and he let out a breath. It felt like his heart hadn't quite returned to its normal rhythm ever since he had seen her get shot in the neck. “It looks like Vanessa has made me pretty much as invincible as she is. Perks of being her twin.” 

 

She grinned and he shook his head, pulling her closer until he could wrap his arms around her waist and rest his forehead on hers. Closing his eyes, he breathed in and out for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what it was about her, but she made him feel so much again and he didn't know what to do about that. He couldn't even remember the last time he’d felt like that about someone.

 

“I know you're a badass,” he started, a small grin pulling the corner of his lips up, especially when she wrapped her arms around him, tucking herself into the crook of his neck. “But please, just...don't do this again. No coughing up bullets.”

 

She laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to his skin. “I'll try.” 

 

He felt her lips curl up in a smile against his skin, before she pressed another kiss to his racing pulse. Running his fingers through her hair, he gently guided her face to his until their lips met. Allowing himself to just get lost in this moment right here, just for a few seconds, he revelled in the warmth and sense of peace that being with her provided in this fucked up world.

 

She sighed against his lips and pulled away for a moment. “You gotta promise me you won't die on me either, you know?” She told him with a smile, an almost shy look in her eyes, so unlike the fearless warrior she usually was. “It's only fair.”

 

“You're stuck with me, Ninja.” He promised her and she chuckled, nodding, before sealing their promise with a kiss.

 

“Oh. I'm sorry.” A voice came from the door and they pulled apart, startled. He turned, only to find Doc standing in the doorway, looking at them with a knowing grin and a touch of embarrassment. “Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you guys.”

 

He shook his head, but tightened his hold on Scarlett when he felt her start to step away. Caressing her side, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder before letting her go.

 

“It's fine, Doc.” Scarlett told her and he repeated the sentiment. “What's up?”

 

“Well, we were talking out there and we have a helicopter now.” She started and Scarlett immediately nodded, her eyes lighting up with hope.

 

“We can go to Vanessa.” She beamed excited and he let out a relieved sigh. 

 

She was fine. Just fine. Her voice was back to normal and the wound had completely disappeared. She pulled on her swords harness, clipping it in the front around her chest, and turned to him, eyes sparkling. “Come on, Army Man. Let's go save my sister.”

 

He took her outstretched hand and let her lead him out to join the others, but not before grumbling a “Marine!” under his breath.

 

Her laughter echoed through his heart.

 

~*~

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene between 3x01 and 3x02.

**Chapter 2**

 

There was something different about her sister. Vanessa watched as Scarlett and Axel walked a couple of paces ahead of her, shoulders brushing occasionally, joking quietly with each other.

She had only been at Black Tek for a couple of weeks, maybe, but it looked like something had definitely happened while she was gone. There was a lightness to her twin that hadn't been there before, and she would bet that the Marine had something to do with it.

They had been walking through the woods for hours now and she knew they would have to settle down for the night soon. When they stumbled upon a clearing, she called out to them.

“We should make camp for the night.” She explained when they turned around to face her.

The Elder had been unusually quiet these past few hours and, even though she was grateful for the silence, it also unnerved her that he could be plotting something. She knew he had done something to her back at Black Tek and she was terrified that she could be turning. The need for blood was getting stronger and she had no idea what to do.

“I'll go find some firewood.” Axel volunteered and she nodded, smiling knowingly when she saw Scarlett touching his arm and telling him to be careful.

Something was definitely going on between those two. She hadn't known Scarlett for long, but she seemed softer around the edges somehow. Lighter.

“What?” Scarlett brought her out of her reverie and she shook her head. “What is it?” She insisted, but Vanessa merely shook her head again.

“So what did I miss while I was gone?” She asked after a beat. Scarlett shrugged.

“We actually met these cops that were cannibals. They were eating vampires.” Her sister laughed and she looked at her with wide eyes. “I know. That was our reaction too.”

“No shit.” She breathed and Scarlett laughed again. “Did they try to eat you guys too?”

“They were convinced at one point that we were all vampires. You know, because Julius killed their chef and Axel and I stole a whole lot of their weapons.”

“Your sister here nearly died like a witch, Sleeping Beauty.” They heard Axel's voice and Vanessa turned in time to see him dropping firewood on the ground. “They were determined to test if she was a vampire or not by hanging her.”

“Yeah, that part wasn't fun.”

Scarlett shook her head, wrinkling her nose, and for a moment Vanessa saw the spitting image of her daughter. It had just dawned on her how much Dylan actually looked like her aunt.

“Although, to be honest, I doubt you'd actually die, Ninja.” He grinned at her sister and Vanessa raised an eyebrow. Ninja?

“Yeah, well, I'm glad we didn't have to test this theory or I would've ended up roasting in their UV light oven.” Scarlett chuckled and pulled out a box of matches from one of her many pockets.

“I saw you take a bullet to the neck and survive to tell the story.” Axel pointed out and her sister rolled her eyes. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have died.”

“Wait, you were shot?” Vanessa interrupted their banter. She had tuned out their conversation for a moment, but this was important. She may not have known Scarlett for long, but they were still sisters. She was still the only family Vanessa had left in this world.

“Yup. Right here.” She pointed to her neck and Vanessa gasped. “Looks like you passed your invincibility power to me, sis.” She grinned and Vanessa smiled weakly. What did that even mean?

“And she coughed up the bullet right after, like it was no big deal.” Axel added, his grin proud when he looked at Scarlett. “Scared the hell out of me.” He finished quietly, but Vanessa still heard. Yeah, it looked like the Marine was definitely hooked on her sister.

Scarlett shook her head and Vanessa watched as she touched his arm, caressing for just a moment, before lighting up a match. Their fire caught on quickly and soon they were all seated around it, backs against a couple of fallen logs.

The Elder sat further away from the flames and Scarlett told him to stay put. It still irked Vanessa so much that it looked like Susan, but at the same time, it felt like at least a small part of her friend was back. It eased her heart just a tiny bit.

“Don't even look at him like that.” She heard Scarlett bark off and turned to look at her. She was sitting next to Axel, their arms touching as they shared a can of soup. “He's off limits, you got that? You get anywhere near him and I'll take your head off.” She threatened the vampire and Vanessa chuckled.

“Don't try her.” She commented and laughed when the Elder growled at them. “Just...stand guard for us, would you?”

“I must feed.” The Elder hissed and she saw Scarlett rolling her eyes.

“Go find an animal or something. This human is forbidden to you.” She threatened again and Vanessa smiled when she saw Axel put his arm behind her sister on the log. “Goddamn vampire.” Scarlett mumbled when the Elder finally vanished into the woods.

“So what's the plan here, Sleeping Beauty?” Axel asked, shaking his head when Scarlett offered him more soup.

“Find the totems and kill these elders, whoever they are.” She shrugged. “Mom said we shouldn't face the Dark One. Just eliminate the possibility of him ever returning.”

“That's still so trippy that the Boss was your mother.” He commented and Vanessa nodded, a cloud of sadness covering her thoughts. She wished so bad that she could've had more time.

“The Boss?”

“That's what the people at Crooked Falls called her. Her name was Abby.” Scarlett told her with a sad smile.

“What was she like?” Vanessa asked, starved for any information. Unlike her sister, she had never had a mother figure in her life and it seemed so unfair that she'd gotten no more than a couple of minutes in a reverie.

“She was a badass.” Scarlett sighed, a grin curving her lips up. “She said she had no idea that the Dark One's blood would do this to us. That she never meant for this to happen.”

“I met the woman who did this to us, by the way. Who used the Dark One’s blood on mom.” Vanessa told her. “I made her pay.” She said simply and Scarlett nodded.

“Good.”

“What did they do to you there?” Axel asked her and she shook her head, not ready to talk about it.

“Tests. Tried to trick me, and then tried to kill me.” She shrugged and Axel chuckled.

“You Van Helsings are something else.” He shook his head, amused, and Scarlett elbowed him lightly, laughing. “I say that with love, I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes and Vanessa watched amused as they grinned at each other like they were in their own little world. How on Earth had this thing between them happen so fast?

A ruffling sound coming from behind her made her turn around fast, her finger ready to squeeze the trigger on her gun. When she realized it was just the Elder, she let out a relieved breath.

“You stand guard for us, do you hear me?” She called out to the ancient vampire. “Don't let anything or anyone attack us while we sleep.”

“Remember, you're sworn to protect us.” Scarlett completed and the Elder nodded grudgingly. “I can take first watch, if you'd like.” She offered, but Vanessa shook her head.

“No need. We need to rest and the Elder can keep watch all night.” She told her twin and laid down on the ground, trying to get comfortable.

“If you're sure.” Scarlett shrugged and she nodded.

“I'm sure.”

Closing her eyes, she tried to relax. Ever since the Elder had bitten her, her senses were a lot sharper, so she could hear every little sound in their vicinity. Every little chirp or ruffling of leaves. And every single word her sister and Axel were saying just a few feet away from her.

“You need to sleep.” She heard her twin whisper, but kept her eyes closed. It had been a few minutes already and they probably thought she was asleep. “Axel.”

“I don't trust that thing. I'll keep watch while you guys sleep.” He said and his tone seemed so final, that she half expected to hear his characteristic 'end of discussion’ line.

But it never came.

“He can't hurt us. I told you, he's pledged to us.” Scarlett countered and Vanessa heard him sigh. “I promise you won't become dinner, babe. I'll rip his heart out before I let him come anywhere near you.”

“I like this new territorial side of you.” He said and Vanessa could hear the grin in his voice.

“Shut up.” Scarlett laughed lightly and Vanessa wished more than anything that she could fall asleep already. “Come on, sleep?”

“Alright, alright.” He conceded and she heard them moving around. “Come here.” He whispered and Scarlett must have shaken her head, because he continued. “Come on, Ninja. Please?”

Curiosity got the best of her and she opened her eyes just enough to see her sister crawl into his arms. Axel still had his back against the log and Scarlett rested her head on his chest. She let out a contented sigh and Vanessa couldn't help but smile.

She was happy for them. They deserved something good in this fucked up world.

“You know what I just realized?” Scarlett said after a couple of minutes. Vanessa startled awake. She had been almost falling asleep, but her sister's voice pulled her right back. “I stabbed you in the gut with my sword when we first met.”

She heard Axel's chuckle and involuntarily opened her eyes again. He was looking down at her sister, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

“That's right, you did. Thanks for that.” He deadpanned and her twin laughed. “It hurt like a bitch.”

“I'm sorry about that.” She replied sheepishly, but he just laughed and leaned down to kiss her. “Hell of a first impression, huh?”

Vanessa closed her eyes and tried to will sleep to pull her under again. She did not need to be awake for this. They needed their privacy, if only for a little bit.

“You're more than forgiven.” She heard Axel whispering right before she fell asleep.

 

~*~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scenes between 3x02 and 3x05.

**Chapter 3**

 

“The Elder bit her.”

They were returning to the asylum to check on Vanessa, after verifying that the trail was still sort of intact. Now that that poor man was dead, at least they would have a roof over their heads for the night.

Axel looked at her with wide eyes.

“He did  _ what _ ?” He stopped her with a hand on her arm, turning her around to face him. “What do you mean?”

“That's what she told me. When we were digging up that grave.” She shrugged, but her mind hadn't stopped rushing around in circles ever since her sister had dropped that bomb on her. “What if that's why her eyes are turning red, Axel? What if she’s turning? What are we supposed to do if she turns?”

“Hey, hey,” he touched her cheek and made her look up at him. “Let's not panic just yet, alright?” He said gently and she nodded, taking a deep breath. Just the thought of Vanessa turning into one of those monsters was enough to make her blood freeze in her veins in fear. “Vanessa is strong as hell. She's been bitten countless times by now. I don't think she can be turned at all.”

Scarlett leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder. The panic she'd been feeling ever since Vanessa told her she's been craving blood was overwhelming. If it came down to it, if her sister really turned into a full fledged vampire, she didn't know if she would be able to kill her. 

She was her  _ twin _ _sister_.

She'd just gotten her back in her life. She refused to believe that this was all the time they would get together.

“God, I hope you're right.” Letting out a sigh, she forced herself to pull back and look up at him again. “Cause if she turns, I really don't think I'd be able to-” she cut herself short and shook her head. She couldn't even bear to finish that thought.

“Scarlett, look at me.” He touched her chin and she met his eyes again. “Hey, we'll cross that bridge  _ if _ we get to it. Together, alright?” He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “For now let's just focus on the mission at hand.”

She nodded again and stole another quick kiss from his lips. Now that Vanessa and the Elder were traveling with them, these stolen moments were very few and far in between. It had only been a few weeks, but Scarlett couldn't even imagine her life without him in it anymore.

And that scared her beyond belief.

Living in a post-apocalyptic world, you kind of had to live on a day by day basis, and she had spent the past four years shying away from any sort of attachment. Because you never knew if you were even going to be alive the next day, so she couldn't allow herself to care too much. Not when there was so much to lose.

But Axel had blown the lid on her feelings wide open and there was nothing she could do to stop it now.

Pressing one last kiss to his lips, she smiled when she met his soft gaze directed at her. He ran his hand through her hair gently and nodded for them to move forward, giving her waist a gentle, affectionate squeeze before letting her walk ahead of him in the trail.

The asylum had just come into view when she saw Vanessa coming down the steps. Alone. Looking at Axel, she found him frowning as well, probably wondering the same thing.

Where the hell was the Elder?

“Hey, is the trail still good?” Vanessa asked as soon as she reached them.

“Yeah. The rain washed most of it away, but we can still make it.” Axel told her, but Scarlett wasn't about to ignore the elephant in the room.

“Where's the Elder?” She asked before Vanessa could say anything else. “Vanessa.”

“It's a long story, but he tried to get me killed in a reverie.” She explained and Scarlett's frown deepened. “Look, let's just go back to that cabin. We can stay the night and I'll fill you guys in.”

“Did you kill him?” She asked firmly and Vanessa sighed. “Did you?”

“Yeah, he's dead.” Her sister said simply and started walking. “Come on.”

Scarlett exchanged a look with Axel and he raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged and shook her head, at a loss of what to do. Vanessa was already a few feet ahead when they finally started moving.

The walk to the cabin was silent, the only sounds around them coming from whatever was in those woods. When they got there, Axel set out to explore the cabin and the contents of the guy's cabinets. She heard him muttering ‘jackpot’ under his breath and shook her head with a smile.

Unbuckling her swords harness, she placed it on the small couch to the corner of the room. Vanessa disappeared into the room in the back, so Scarlett took the moment to get her thoughts in order. She still didn't really understand what had happened, but for now, she would wait for her sister to explain.

Stretching her arms above her head, she groaned, feeling her joints popping pleasantly.

“Hey, Ninja,” she heard Axel call out to her and smiled at the nickname. It had started out as a way for him to make fun of her, but it had become a term of endearment somewhere along the way, and she'd grown to kind of love it. “Look what I found.”

She took his outstretched hand and let him lead her into some sort of pantry. 

“Holy shit.” She breathed, her eyes running hungrily over the full shelves.

“It looks like we're going to have ourselves a feast tonight.” He nudged her shoulder with his and she laughed in awe.

Sure, it was all canned food, but it was still better than nothing. She grinned at him and pulled down a can of chicken rice soup, already dreaming about having a decent meal. She couldn't even remember when she had last eaten. Maybe sometime this morning?

“God, I'm starving.” She said, grabbing a jar of peaches, her mouth watering at the thought of her favorite fruit. “Vanessa!”

“Why don't you go get her while I get our dinner ready?” Axel suggested, hand gently caressing her side. “She's probably just washing up or something.”

Nodding, she looked in the direction her sister had disappeared to and, after checking that Vanessa was still in the room, Scarlett tugged on his hoodie, pulling him to her, and touched his lips with hers. She felt him smiling against her lips and pulled back, her heart racing at the soft look in his eyes.

For the first time in almost four years, she felt happy.

“Thank you.” She beamed at him and kissed him again, before turning on her heels to go find her sister.

 

* * *

 

 

His hand made its way to his lips, the phantom feeling of Scarlett's kiss still lingering. Axel watched her disappear into the room in the back and shook his head, trying to clear his head.

This woman was driving him crazy. When he thought he couldn't possibly like her more, his heart surprised him and he had no idea what to do. He couldn't even imagine doing this, surviving this crazy apocalyptic world, without her anymore and that scared him more than anything.

But it was too late now. He was already too attached, too... infatuated to turn back.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to focus on the task at hand. There was a small table in the room, so he pulled down a few cans and put them there, before going in search of silverware. The guy had to have at least a couple of spoons around here somewhere.

Just as he was setting the few forks and spoons on the table, he heard the sisters coming back into the room. Scarlett immediately met his eyes and he raised an eyebrow at her. He was deeply concerned about whatever was happening with Vanessa, and he truly, truly hoped that she wasn't turning.

He hadn't spent the past four years of his life protecting this woman, only to have to kill her in the end. Nope. It wasn't going to happen.

“You've really outdone yourself, Army Man.” Scarlett's voice brought him back to the present and he rolled his eyes at her, a small grin playing on his lips.

“You should thank that poor soul out there.” He shrugged, picking up a can of spaghetti, before sitting next to her. “He was the one hoarding all this treasure.”

She shook her head and opened the chicken rice can she had selected a few minutes ago. “Dig in, sis.” 

Vanessa grinned at them and picked up a can of what looked like some sort of soup. Taking a seat across from them, she raised an eyebrow at him, and Axel wondered if she knew that he was kind of halfway in love with her sister.

Picking up a fork, he finally tasted some of the spaghetti in front of him, the flavor exploding on his tongue. Before the Rising, he had never been one for canned food, but after four years? This stuff was heaven.

“Good, huh?” He turned to find Scarlett watching him amused. “I'll trade you.” 

She offered a spoonful of her dinner and he gratefully accepted, the flavors also nearly as heavenly as his spaghetti. Squeezing her thigh in thanks, he pushed his can in her direction, and turned to Vanessa.

“So,” he cleared his throat, knowing full well that Vanessa had been watching his entire exchange with Scarlett. “You ready to tell us what happened back there?”

“Yeah, what the hell happened to our pet vampire?” Scarlett completed, moaning at the taste of his dinner, before pushing the can back towards him. “This is amazing.” She told him and he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

“I found a sword in Lily's coffin.” Vanessa finally broke her silence, digging into her own dinner. “It had blood on it and the Elder said it belonged to the B'ah.”

“What the hell is a B'ah?” Scarlett immediately asked and Vanessa swallowed before answering.

“Another Elder.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Sleeping Beauty said before shaking her head. “So he said he could show me how to defeat the B'ah, just like when he created that reverie with Mom, remember?” 

Axel watched as Scarlett nodded, sadness clouding her eyes for a moment. Involuntarily, he reached out and caressed the small of her back, in an attempt to comfort her. He knew that these past few weeks had not been easy on her. On any of them.

“It was different this time, though. It was like I was trapped in Lily's body, over a hundred years ago.” Vanessa continued and he felt his eyes widening in surprise. Just when he thought nothing could shock him anymore, shit like this happened.

“You travelled in time?” Scarlett asked in awe, eyes as wide as saucers. “Holy shit.”

“I don't really know if it was time travel. It was weird. How long were you guys gone for?” Vanessa asked and he thought back to their banter as they walked down the trail to the cabin.

“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.” He told her and she let out a surprised laugh. “Why? What happened?”

“I lived for  _ days _ in Lily's body. She was in Hong Kong to destroy vampires. In 1896.”

Axel let out an impressed whistle and chuckled when Scarlett gasped out a “holy fuck!”.

“This is the weirdest shit I've ever heard.” His Ninja added, returning to her dinner. “What was that like?”

“Intense. It's a long story, but the bottom line is that I know what the B'ah's totem is and I know she's supposed to be in San Francisco now.”

“She? It's a woman?” Scarlett interrupted and Vanessa nodded. “Great, so now we need to get to San Francisco somehow. This is going to take a while.”

“At least we know where we're going.” He countered and she shrugged, reaching for the peachjar. “It's better than nothing.”

“True.” Scarlett conceded and stabbed a piece of fruit with a fork, before pushing the jar in his direction. “So how did our Elder end up dead?” She asked Vanessa curiously.

“He wanted me to die in the reverie. Facing the B'ah by myself.” She explained and Scarlett snorted.

“Is that even possible? It just seems too surreal.” She shook her head, taking another piece of fruit after he had taken one for himself.

“I don't know, but he sure as hell tried. He was surprised when I came back. So he got a blade to the heart for his efforts.” 

Vanessa shrugged and Axel shook his head amused. This woman never ceased to amaze him at how badass and ridiculously brave she was. Both of them.

“Good riddance. He shall not be missed.” Scarlett saluted with a piece of peach stuck to her fork. “So we should probably get some rest, gather supplies and start making our way down to California.”

They finished their dinner in relative silence and Scarlett offered to clean up. Axel took this chance to check the rest of the cabin, finding a simple room in the back with a small twin bed. He was definitely taking first watch tonight, but he figured that at least one of the girls would be able to get a decent night of sleep in an actual bed.

When he returned to the main room, after washing up, he found Vanessa and Scarlett arguing over who was going to take first watch.

“I will.” He told them and when they turned to him, ready to argue, he just shook his head. “I'll take first watch. End of discussion.”

“You need to rest. That thing back there nearly killed you with his weird ass power.” Scarlett countered, but he wasn't having any of it. “Axel, come on.”

“I'm fine, Ninja. You can take second watch, if you'd like. But for now, you two get to go to sleep. End of discussion.”

“You're fucking annoying, did you know that?” She complained, and he chuckled. “Alright, Army Man. Suit yourself.” she shrugged and turned to her sister. “You should take the bed, Vanessa. You time travelled and fought an Elder.” She argued when Vanessa opened her mouth to contest.

“She’s right, Sleeping Beauty.” He agreed, ignoring the narrowed look Vanessa sent his way. “You need rest way more than we do.”

“Fine, but I'm taking second watch.” Vanessa said and he nodded. “You kids behave.” She teased and he knew Scarlett had raised an eyebrow in question, probably thinking the same thing he was. “Goodnight.”

Once Vanessa disappeared into the room, he made his way to the fireplace and rekindled the fire, hoping it would last through the night. The temperature had dropped considerably and the last thing they needed was to freeze to death in here.

He heard Scarlett dropping onto the couch and smiled at the sight when he turned to look at her. Her legs were stretched out in front of her and her eyes were already closed.

Giving the fire one last little push, he made his way back to where she was and sat down next to her, immediately pulling her closer to his side.

“Tired?” He asked quietly, pressing a kiss to her hair. She nodded, and stretched her body out before snuggling closer to him. “Sleep, Ninja. I'll be right here.”

“Are you sure you're okay?” She asked him after a moment, her fingers gently caressing his stubbled jaw. “That guy got you pretty good in there.”

“I promise I'm fine, Scarlett.” He smiled and kissed her temple again.

“Vanessa is onto us, you know.” She commented after a beat and he chuckled.

“Oh, I'm pretty sure she is. She keeps looking at me weird, and I'm not sure she approves or not.” He told her with a teasing grin.

“She doesn't have to approve, Army Man. You're  _ my _ decision.” She poked his chest jokingly and he laughed, capturing her finger and bringing it to his lips.

“Am I now?” He drawled and she rolled her eyes, leaning in for a kiss that quickly deepened.

“Hmm, I miss you.” She whispered against his lips and he had to take a deep breath to control himself, his desire for her almost overwhelming his senses.

“Miss you too.” He mumbled, pulling her in for another mind numbing kiss. “But I really don't want Vanessa to shoot me because she thinks I'm taking advantage of her little sister.”

“You do know we're twins, right?” She laughed and he shrugged. “For all we know, I'm the oldest.”

“Still.”

“Chicken.” She teased and he laughed, kissing her lightly this time. “I'm really glad I found you, Army Man.” Scarlett confessed after a couple of minutes in silence.

“Marine.” He countered with a grin, before pressing a kiss to her forehead and then to her lips. “I'm really glad you found me too.” He caressed her cheek, wondering how he had survived this long without her. “Now sleep, babe. I'll be right here.”

 

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